visting a friend
by AllTheWrongLoves
Summary: Ellie never imagined her summer going like this-but that's what happens when your fathers best friend is a fortune hunter. some mention of a game coming out called the last of us. completly random.


**I thought of this after being super bored and ended up spacing out in English, and realized young Nathan from uncharted 3 and Ellie from the last of us, would make the most heart melting couple…cuz who doesn't enjoy young love? XD I also wanted to play with Nate and Sully's relationship. I don't own anything, Naughty are the geniuses behind these characters.**

"Tell me again why we sat on a plane for three hours?" a teenage girl-most likely fifteen- hopelessly glared an older man with a beard. Said older man turned his attention to her and smiled, patting her head. She huffed and adjusted her messy pony tail.

"We're here to visit an old friend of mine. I haven't seen him in years." They walk through the streets of a small foreign village, many natives yelling at each other as they put cargo on pickup trucks. The teenage girl wiped off a sheen of sweat on her forehead, not used to the heat of the country. She watched a few children run and laugh past her. She rushed back to the older man when she fell behind until she was next to him. He chuckled and pulled out a piece of paper. Directions. Fantastic...he wasn't even sure where they were going! The teenage girl crossed her arms over her chest and let her eyes wander. It seems strange that this friend of his would agree to a visit after…what, fifteen years? He said that they used to work together but quit after a few years. His friend however, is still working in the business. Whatever it is…

She won't admit it, but she was truly curious to see this friend of his. She only knew one side of him; the side that was loving and careful-the side her mother married. But from what she's heard- he was anything but that when he went on adventures with this friend of his. The summer vacation had been dull and she hoped his would change that. They turned right onto another brick road with even more people walking around with cargo. Most likely because that road was a market. The girl jumped when a man came out of nowhere and started babbling in the native tongue while shoving a soft fabric in her hands. She shook her head, trying to get even a HINT of what he was saying. The older man grabbed her wrist and rushed away. She hoped they could find this friend soon-the place preyed off of tourists. And sure enough, someone started calling the man's name. "Joel! Joel!" a well fit man-most likely in his forties- with black hair and a mustache waved eagerly at the man.

The girl watched a smile spread across the bearded man's face before he nearly dragged her along with him to meet who she guessed was this friend. The two men embraced strongly, patting each other's back and laughing. Joel pulled back and smiled at his friend.

"Look at you Sully! Fifteen years go by and you haven't aged a day!" Sully laughed heartily and rested a hand on his friends shoulder, puffing smoke from a cigar. He playfully slapped Joel's face.

"I could hardly recognize ya with that new look. What encouraged that?" Joel shrugged and rubbed his stubble covered face. He turned and grabbed the young girl, placing her in front of him. The girl stared at this 'Sully', not too sure what to do.

"Sully, I would like you to meet my daughter. Ellie, this is Sully. He's the friend I've told you about." Ellie shyly lifted a hand to wave but dropped it limply at her side. She was so awkward at these moments! It didn't seem to faze Sully though. He gingerly took her hand and kissed her knuckles like a gentlemen, grinning.

"It is an honor to meet you Ellie. When your father mentioned you I was expecting a little ten year old, but he has a young woman on his hands!" Ellie blushed with flattery and tentively removed her hand from his. She wouldn't call herself a young woman; she seemed more like the overly mature child. In all honesty she acted like she was 21 unlike many of her friends-even though they were all evenly developed. Joel chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Careful Sully, I've already had to beat a few boys away. Don't want your ass on the list!" Sully laughed and pulled the cigar from his mouth.

"Sorry about the travel, but I'm on a job that is taking a while and when you called I couldn't wait until it was over." Joel shrugged. He was used to his friend's over eagerness. It had gotten them into a lot of bad situations before.

"Oh it's not so bad. A little hotter than I'm used to but nothing a dip in the ocean won't fix." Sully nodded and put the cigar back in his mouth. The three stood there a moment, Joel and Ellie not too sure why they weren't leaving yet. Joel spoke up.

"Umm…are we waiting for someone?" Sully tapped the ash off his cigar and grinned.

"Yes actually we are. But they're taking forever." As if on cue, a young man with light brown hair, an elbow length t-shirt and Levi jeans practically sprinted down the road with a paper bag in his hand. Joel was baffled by this. He wasn't expecting Sully to have a kid with him too…said 'kid' stopped right next to Sully and hunched over panting.

"Sorry…I'm…late…food…took…forever!" the teenage boy managed between breaths. When he was standing straight, Sully nudged him and took the paper bag. Sully had a grin on his face unlike any Joel had ever seen. It was a mix of a fatherly emotion and amusement. The kid was tall-like shoulder height to Sully. He seemed skinny too…

"You didn't have to run, kid." The teen shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Couldn't help it." Sully grunted a laugh and looked inside the paper bag.

"Of course you couldn't." in return the teenager playfully pushed Sully, getting a good shove in return, which led to small scuffle between them. He realized he hadn't explained yet.

"Where are my manners? Joel, this is my protégé-Nate." Ellie peaked at Nate, who caught her and waved. She pivoted her eyes back down in sudden interest of her shoes. Nate held his hand for Joel who took it without hesitation.

"Nathan Drake if you want to get formal." The kid grinned at him before he took a step back. Ellie was completely silent. She wasn't a very social person. Sully clapped his hands and motioned towards a table.

"Since Nate practically went on a sprint to get lunch, what do you say we eat before it gets cold?" the group sat at a round wooden table enjoying a meal of pork in some spicy sauce along with brown rice and wheat rolls. Ellie picked at her food, subtly staring at Nate. She felt like she could hardly hold anything. Her father scooped generous amounts of food into his mouth, obviously liking the change of the weekly take out they eat on Fridays. Sully wiped his mouth on a napkin and sighed.

"Thanks kid." Nate nodded and kept wolfing down his own portion of food. Joel leaned on the table, glancing at Ellie's blushing form. He sipped his beer.

"So what have you and Nate been up to?" Sully shrugged.

"Aw ya know, just obtaining objects for clients, making the sure Nate doesn't fall from a building." Nate scrunched his nose at his mentor but didn't say anything.

"Am I allowed to know what you're doing or is it top secret?" Joel joked, but noticed how the two glanced at each other. He knew what was going on.

"Sully…" he sighed. Sully raised a hand to stop his friend objection. This was something that happened often back in the day.

"Now don't jump to conclusions J. yes it's a bit more err…_sneaky_ than other jobs but for a noble cause. It's going back to the country it belongs to." Sully folded his hands. Ellie finally chose to speak.

"What's the object?"

"It's a sapphire necklace that supposedly belonged to a princess. The client has some weird obsession with the legend." Nate answered her, his green eyes making her blush. She looked down and started twiddling her thumbs. Joel pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't know why it bothered him so much that they were smuggling a necklace out of wherever the place was, but it did. Another thought crossed his mind.

"You want me to help." He stated, knowing it was true. Sully bobbed his head and looked away, shoving chunk of pork in his mouth.

"More or less." Joel sighed and noticed Ellie's intrigued and hopeful look underneath her blush. She was always fascinated about this kind of stuff. He guessed she got it from him. He tried to glare at Sully but it was hopeless. He kind of wanted a one-time deal and do what he did so long ago at least once again. Besides, how could he say 'no' to his ol' friend Victor Sullivan? He slapped his hand down on the table and chuckled. Ellie was grinning, knowing that Sully had won.

"Alright. I'm in." Ellie squirmed in her seat with excitement. This was going to be a better visit than she thought.

Xx

"Okay so now just insert the bullets here." Ellie moved carefully, doing what Nate instructed. "Good, now push it back into place." She again did what she was told and was rewarded with a click. She eyed the Minnie pistol skeptically. Would she have to use it? Most likely, since it had to be small enough to be hidden but powerful enough to defend herself when they entered the museum. She glanced at her dad, who was assembling a sniper rifle. He says that he used to do it constantly when he was with Sully, but was struggling since he hadn't done it in more than a decade. The plan was that Ellie and Nate would enter the museum when it was open and seem like curious children while they hunted the location of the necklace. When they found it, they would use a key mold Nate already had in his pocket and leave.

Later that night, her father and Sully would steak out on the roof across the museum while Ellie and Nate sneak in and use the key to open the display case. They would retrieve it and go through the back door. They would give the necklace to the client and Sully even offered a cut of the money. Of course this is what would happen if it goes SMOOTHLY! She took a shaky breath. She was so excited yet so nervous. And Nate standing barely six inches next to her wasn't helping with her racing heart. She usually wasn't one to get crushes but Nate seemed to be her soft spot. His green eyes sparkled when he smiled and he was so charming she was surprised she wasn't a stuttering mess. But she was close. He inspected her gun before he handed it to her.

"Now you know how to load it." She nodded and fiddled with a screw on the table. He leaned against it and smiled at her, making butterflies flutter in her stomach. She looked away and fingered the pistol to get used to the metal in her hand. She didn't mean to seem rude to Nate, but she could hardly keep her face at bay let alone her words around him. He rested his head on his hand and watched her mess with the weapon. She was pretty; not like the women Sully flirted with-more like a sweet kind of pretty, natural. He watched Sully and Joel lightly argue over how the rifle was put together, each one grinning and laughing. It was kinda cool seeing his mentor like this; care free, relaxed. He owed the man his life after he saved his that fateful day in Cartagena barely six months ago. The middle aged man was the closest thing he had to a dad, but he didn't know that. Nate nearly jumped the ceiling when a loud bang followed by a crash erupted right next to him.

He laughed when he saw a stunned Ellie carefully putting down the Minnie pistol, staring at the huge hole in the wall of the shop. He chuckled when he saw Sully and Joel gawking at her. She sunk down slowly until she was kneeling underneath the table. He poked his head underneath to grin at her.

"I forgot to mention it has a crazy sensitive trigger." She scoffed and came out of her spot.

"A little late to say." Nate laughed again and helped her up, his rough hand making her blush again. Sully chuckled and watched the young teens joke around for a minute before turning his attention to Joel. It's hard to see the old days of the two of them running away from guards and jumping on roofs to get away…but they both kinda picked up something they need to take care of. Funny how kids change your view on life values.

He wasn't the type of guy to just scoop a kid off the streets, but Nate just hit a soft spot he didn't even know he had. The rest of the day Nate trained Ellie on evading gunshots, how to move with stealth, the list could on for miles. By the end of her last lesson, Ellie was sore but eager. She knew this wasn't some adventure like on TV-that didn't mean she didn't feel like it was! Joel chuckled as he watched his daughter limp around until she dropped onto the air mattress next to his. She let out a groan of agony. He patted her back and closed his eyes, hoping he wasn't getting her into anything dangerous. He let his mind wander off to the last job he took with Sully.

**Flashback**

"_How the hell do we get into these messes?" a slightly younger look Joel shouted as he jumped onto a cliff, barely stopping. A younger Sully followed him closely, laughing at his friends' angry yet frightened look. They were being chased by some freaky purple hulk men, the secret world they had found shaking and falling apart after destroying some mythical resin that turned people immortal. They both jumped onto the bridge, not surprised that those things were keeping up. Sully pelted at least half of his AK 47 bullets into just one creature, but it didn't even slow down!_

"_I don't know J! I don't Godamn know!" Joel ripped the pin out of a grenade with his teeth and chucked it right into the face of one of the creatures-the blow knocked them back briefly but they got right back up._

"_Do these things even die?" he asked exasperatedly while he aimed an RPG at them. The impact of the explosive shook the already unsteady bridge even more but luckily took out the creatures. The bridge started to shake intensely. Joel looked back. He wished he hadn't._

"_Aw Shit!" he shouted and picked up his pace. The bridge started to collapse just feet behind the ground they covered. Sully screamed when the ground fell from under him. Joel grabbed his arm at the last second and pulled him back up as fast as he could. Sully laughed bitterly and kept going until they reached the exit where their colleague- Brianna was waiting. They slumped over and took lungful's of air until the rumbling became too much and they were forced to keep moving. They rushed up the secret entrance stairs until the sight of pure white snow glittering in sunlight came. Joel dropped to his knees, ignoring the burn of the snow and buried his face deep in it to get him back in reality. Sully dropped himself down as well letting out breathless chuckles at his friends' reaction._

"_What in the hell did you do back there?" Brianna asked and looked both men over for any serious injuries. Sully laughed and helped Joel out of the snow._

"_Oh you know, saved the world's ass."_

"_Again." Joel chimed. The older woman shook her head at the two friends._

_Later that day_

"_I think 'I'm done Sully." Joel muttered as he nestled a bottle of beer in his hands. Sully looked at him with confusion and eyed his half full beer. He really wasn't one to back out of a drink._

"_What, are you not feelin' well?" he asked. Joel sighed and shook his head._

"_No I mean…I'm done with treasure hunting." Sully stopped drinking to look at Joel. This was unexpected. By a long shot._

"_Is it something I did?" Joel shook his head and placed an around his buddy's neck. He didn't want Sully to think like that._

"_You didn't do anything. I just feel like its time I stopped. You know, settle down and get married. Sarah's been hinting she's ready. You may be a player but I'm not. Besides, today was way too close a call." Sully looked down and pondered this. He would still have his friend._

"_Invite me to the wedding?" he requested. Joel grinned and gave his friend a noogie._

"_Hell yes!" the two friends pulled apart and toasted their beers._

"_Here's to who knows what will happen in the future!" Sully called, throwing his head back dramatically. Joel laughed._

"_I'll drink to that!" they both laughed and spent the rest of the day just enjoying each other's company, knowing that even though they knew things would never be the same, they would forever be each other's' rock._

**End of flashback**

Joel smiled and drifted off to sleep after kissing his daughter goodnight. It's kind of weird how things turned out. He had vowed no more jobs like these and yet here he was. He really should quit promising things.

Xx

"You ready?" Nate asked, wearing a baseball cap, a pair of fake glasses and supporting a book bag on his shoulder. Ellie was in a tank top and jacket with a pair of khaki shorts, her hair let down from its almost permanent style of a pony tail. She nodded. They casually walked into the museum as if there was nothing wrong at all, like they were looking forward to the visit. Ellie placed her arms behind her back and stayed by Nate's side, admiring the statues and artifacts. They scoured every glass on the first floor to find nothing. At that point people were used to their presence and usually ignored them, some smiling at the teens in a friendly gesture, sometimes getting small looks.

Not bad looks but how you would look at two children who think they're in love. Nate would pull out a notebook once in a while to write down notes to keep up his 'student' act, Ellie pretending to be helping with whatever he wrote. They truly did look like tourist students. They wandered off to the second floor. They repeated their actions throughout the second floor, until Ellie tugged on Nate's arm and nodded her head towards a rectangular case where sure enough, sat the 'Claudia's gem.' Nate grinned at her in praise, making her face go red. The walked over carefully-so their eagerness wouldn't show. Nate circled the glass with his notebook-feigning fascination. He doodled the necklace while he searched the case for its lock. He found it at the corner. He looked around for an entrance. His eyes caught an open window. Perfect. everything was where it should be.

He motioned Ellie forward so he was in front of her. He placed his hands behind his back and leaned towards her, placing a sweet kiss on her cheek, moving the key mold into the slot and wiggling it so it would take its shape. Some people chuckled at Ellie's flushed face and bugged eyes, some rolling their eyes at the young one's tactic to get a kiss. They had gone over this as a diversion, but Ellie wasn't expecting Nate to actually do it! Nate flipped the mold back in his hand-sure not to put too much pressure on it. He pulled back from Ellie to grin at her, blushing as well. They wandered around a little more to get rid of any suspicion, Nate holding Ellie's hand.

When they were sure they stayed long enough, they went down the stairs to the front exit-talking about the exhibit when they passed the guard. Sully and Joel waited at a small café a few blocks away. Sully stood up and waved the teens forward.

"How'd you do?" he asked and laughed in his own doubt when Nate whipped out the key mold, a shit eating grin on his face. Joel nodded proudly at his daughter.

"Good job kids!" Joel praised. Sully examined the mold and stuck it in his pocket. He pulled Nate into a noogie for praise.

"Good job alright. Anyone want to join me to the key makers?" Nate removed his fake glasses and walked down the street with his mentor, leaving the two person family the spare key to their hotel. Joel wrapped and arm around his daughter as they strolled the opposite way of the street-looking down he suddenly noticed something.

"Your hairs down." He stated and stroked his daughters light brown hair. She blushed and got ready to get her forever lasting scrunchy, but was stopped by her father.

"Don't. You look beautiful." She smiled and leaned against his body. The silence didn't last long due to the fact Joel wanted to know a few things.

"So how did it feel being all sneaky?" he teased. The scoffed lightly and nodded her head to get the hair out of her face. She shrugged.

"Pretty cool." He chuckled and rubbed her shoulder. She was never an over enthusiastic kid. The only way to tell if she was excited was how dedicated she was to something. She seemed pretty set on this job…or was it that Nate? He didn't really know the teenage girl mind, but he knew the teenage boy mind. Oh he knew just fine. But the kid wasn't like others. Hell any kid that was with Victor Sullivan wouldn't be like others. They had some weird bond that Joel would have to ask Sully about. They were close-yet they weren't. Their relationship was not a father/son relationship. No they were too distant. But it wasn't a mentor/protégé type either. They were too close. It was their own mixture of the two-a little sprinkle of friendship with such a weird amount of dedication. It was obvious they hadn't spent too long together; sometimes Nate was a little apprehensive about things Sully asked him to do-like if he did he would be thrown aside if he did it wrong. Maybe that's why he had a suspicion Ellie liked the boy-he wasn't like others at all.

Joel snapped out of his debate when Ellie reached into his pocket to get the room key. Had he been out of it that long? It was at least a twenty minute walk from that village. Ellie walked straight to her air mattress and plopped down to relax. Joel sat down to watch TV, the both of them waiting for the duo.

Xx _at the key shop_

"_Obrigado, tenha um bom dia." _Sully said and waved to the man at the counter, holding a freshly made key. Nate spun on his heel to follow him out of the building. The walk was silent-the type of silence that they just held. They could talk if they wanted to but didn't feel like it. It was strange how conflicted their relationship was, yet when they didn't think about it how easy it was. Sully gave Nate a sideways look. He never planned on taking in a kid-especially not fifteen year old orphan off the streets of Cartagena! But he had. And now he had the most confusing protégé in history.

Neither of them were the mushy, tear jerking talk people; they comforted each other through jokes or whatever they thought would work. Once Sully had been grazed by a bullet in a bar and the next day Nate surprised him with a box full of his favorite cigars he had run out of. It was a big deal due to the fact Nate hated his cigar habit with a passion.

Another time Nate had busted his wrist on his second job with Sully and had lost the artifact. Later that night Sully slapped a brand new sketchbook in his lap. No words were said-no tears were shed-they just did what they thought would make it seem like they cared. The first night Nate spent with Sully was the most awkward both ever had. The kid had just stood there after a shower and an endless amount of take-out Sully had ordered-just staring at the middle aged man with a questioning look. He couldn't sleep and sat with Sully on the couch-at a distance of course- just staring at the TV, never uttering a word. He fell asleep on his shoulder halfway through an old movie Sully had turned on and for some reason, Sully knew at that moment that the kid was going to stick around.

"Hey Sully, where'd you go?" Nate teased, his own eyes glazed over from thought. Sully rolled his eyes and ruffled the teenaged boys' hair. Nate scrunched his nose.

"A menu of places we're goin' after this job. I'm thinkin' of a nice trip to Hawaii. Or maybe Puerto Rico." Nate smirked and shook his head. It was just like Sully to think of the dumbest details. Then again he hadn't exactly been sharp after his time at the museum. Practically half his mind rotated around Ellie. He didn't know the first thing about girls. Being on the streets for nearly your entire life didn't leave a lot of room for socializing. He thought about asking Sully for advice, but the guy moved from lady to lady. Not exactly the best for the job of teen crush advice.

"We should probably get something to eat before tonight." Sully suggested and turned a corner to a small shop where smoke was coming from the pipe chimney. They walked in and their noses were invaded with the welcoming scent of something being grilled. A plump woman stood at the wooden counter she smiled at them and pulled out a notebook.

"_Olá, tenha um bom dia?" _she asked. Sully skimmed over the menu to find something quick and filling.

"_Quatro ordens de caldo verde, por favor." _Sully requested and pulled out his wallet. The woman wrote on her pad and shouted to a burly man in the back.

"_Eu preciso de quatro ordens de caldo verde." _Ten minutes later, the woman handed them four steaming containers with a smile.

"_Obrigado." _Sully gave her the money and left with Nate.

Dinner was quick, the four people eating their soup quickly so they could be at their positions on time. They changed in all black clothes so they wouldn't be detected-well…have a better chance at it. Joel setup up his rifle with much care and Sully retrieved his binoculars and Wes 44. Nate and Ellie belted their Minnie pistols and made sure they had the key. Ellie was so nervous; it was one thing to mold a key and say you'll use it and another to make one actually use it! She rubbed her arms as her heart accelerated. She jumped when she felt a pressure on her shoulder amd turned her head to see it was just Nate. Nate smiled at her reassuringly. He was going to help her. Sully and Joel would be watching. It couldn't go wrong. It just couldn't.

Xx up on the roof

"Alright, you guys know the drill. Get to the roof of the museum and climb through the open window you saw earlier. Get the key, sneak through the back and get to the hotel as fast as you can. Got it?" Sully asked after his brief plan look over. Nate stood straight and nodded.

"Yep." Ellie could only nod absently, her fear starting to eat at her persistently. Joel bit his lip and considered pulling her out of this. She was so confident in the beginning; he should have known the reality of it would catch up to her. She wasn't like Nate at all, she hadn't done it before! She didn't know what people were capable of. But it was too late, so he tried the next best thing.

"We'll be keeping a sharp eye on you guys." He assured and was relieved when he saw his daughters form relaxed a little. Sully waved them towards the place next to them.

"Go. Get a head start before the guards start their patrols. And relax honey; Nate knows their rounds by heart." Sully teased towards Ellie and pulled out his binoculars as the teens jogged away. Joel took a deep breath and kneeled towards the edge of the roof, ready for whatever happened. he hoped eith all his might that the kids would come through unharmed.

Xx

Nate hurled all his weight into a jump and landed nearly perfectly on the next roof, stumbling for a second. Ellie hesitated. It was a frightening large gap and she wasn't the best at this 'parkour' stuff she had seen many kids do around her neighborhood. They had gone over this in her five hour training, but she sort of hoped they wouldn't have to do it!

"It's okay Ellie- I'll catch you." Nate soothed and held his hand out over the other edge. She took a deep breath and jumped off the edge with a good push. She was doing fine until the sensation of falling took over her. that feeling where for a moment your floating, but then gravity takes over and you feel all your weight. She was ready to release a scream when something warm clasped onto her arm. She whipped her head up to see a grinning Nate. Something in his eyes said he was worried himself he wouldn't have caught her; He pulled her up and patted her back while she breathed through her nose to get her heart rate down. she never felt so much adreneline go through her so suddenly.

"Told you." He mocked. She scoffed and stood up, ready for whatever was next. Sadly that was more jumping. But she followed everything Nate did-gripping tightly to whatever became useful, climbed loose stones and shimmied across a telephone wire, only fumbling once. She was relieved when they stood on solid ground. But that was short lived when Nate jumped to another roof. She sighed and did the same, catching herself before her face could meet the ground. Nate was balancing on the rim of the roof railing and pointing towards a decorative window that was open straight across.

"There's our entrance. If we get there, it's a straight shot to the case which is unsupervised until ten o'clock. It nine fifty so we have only ten minutes to get it and down stairs." He threw himself at a pole and started swinging until he gained enough momentum to get to the other.

"C'mon." he called, not knowing Ellie was already following. He swung to the last one, but missed. Ellie gasped and her grip on the pole she was holding onto got tighter, Nate was sure he was going to fall until his he reflexively grabbed on the edge of a balcony. He breathed a relieved laugh with a bit of shakiness and climbed back up. "I almost ended up like a bug! Hehe…" Ellie flung herself onto the balcony and stumble right into Nate, who was still a little uneasy. At the same time they said, "Are you okay?" the both of them blushed and started mumbling a yes at the same time.

"You scared me." She mumbled and moved out of Nate's hold. He rubbed his neck and smiled.

"Believe me, I was pretty damn scared myself!" she rolled her eyes. They snuck up to the window, which was too high. Nate clasped his hands together and motioned for Ellie to climb. She obeyed and stood on a what she hoped to be thick case to pull Nate up. The both carefully fell from the large case and quickly but silently moved to the necklace display. Nate pulled the key from his pocket and turned his back to open it.

"Cover me." He whispered. Ellie crouched not too far from him and kept watch. She held her gun tentively in her hand, her eyes darting around the room for any signs of movement. She looked back for a second when she heard a click and hushed, "yes!" so far things were going according to plan. Nate carefully removed the necklace from the glass and placed it in a padded box that he stuck in his small back pack. Almost finished. He shut the case to keep suspicion down until morning. Voices echoed not too far away. Damn! They took too long!

"Nate!" Ellie whispered and jerked him down. The two teens crouched underneath a cloth covered table and watched the booted feet tromp by, the two guards seeming to be in a conversation. Ellie turned towards Nate.

"How are we going to get out of here?" she hissed. He licked his lips and lifted the cloth a little to see the situation. One guard leaned against the very glass they were just at; the other was lazily pacing around the exit. Crap… he leaned back and shrugged.

"I'm not sure yet."

Xx on the roof

"Keep them in your sight!"

"It's kinda hard when there are hardly any windows and they're most likely hiding!" Sully quipped towards his overly anxious friend. Though he understood why Joel was so nervous. It was his daughter. To be honest Sully was just as equally worried about Nate. The kid had been in these types of situations before with him-never on his own. The thought of Nate being shot…he hurriedly zoomed in on the building in an attempt to get a glimpse of the kids. Nothing. Just two guards. That either meant they WERE hiding or they were already heading downstairs. God he hoped it was the latter.

Xx

"We're too deep to use our guns; the sound will attract more and we want to be at least on the first floor before we start firing away." Nate pondered and kept watching the guards to figure out their pattern. Ellie wrapped her arms around her knees.

"Then what should we do?" she murmured. Nate ran a hand through his hair and turned to Ellie. There was always one option.

"Stealth."

"Stealth?" they covered this in her training, but again it was something she didn't think of using.

"If we can knock them out quietly we'll be able to sneak down the stairs until we hit the first floor where more guards will be. If we can get past them we're home free." It sounded completely solid, but there was one thing.

"How can two teenagers' knockout full grown guards without making any nose?" she asked in fear of being caught by one of the men.

"Punch them."

"Punch them…" she trailed off.

"In the head." He concluded. "In the back of the head to be specific. And hard too." Ellie nodded. This was going to end badly. 'I'm going to consider this a last resort.' She thought hopelessly. Nate crawled over to her side and under the cloth. She followed. He peaked over the edge of the table to see where the guards were. When one turned around he went back down quickly.

"Okay, I'll take the one on near the exit and you take the one right there." He whispered. He moved swiftly towards the man until he was right behind him and slammed his fist in the back of his head as hard as he could. He was relieved when the man fell without a single sound. Ellie did the same, the man going down with a small grunt but nothing else. She blew a strand of hair out of her face and shook her hand. Ow…that guy had a hard head. Nate waved her forward and they rushed down the staircase. Ellie squeaked when Nate pulled her down behind another large case. He pulled out his gun and looked over the case. There were a lot of guards, but nothing he couldn't handle.

"Stay here." He mouthed towards Ellie. He barrel rolled to another case, hoping he didn't catch any attention. He held his breath and turned a corner to the next case, just feet from a guard. Said guard turned his attention to where Nate was hiding. Nate clenched his jaw and stayed perfectly still. He could hear the guard getting closer. so close he could hear the distinct jingle of his keys and subtle humming. He fisted his hand in position to punch, but the guard turned at the last minute. Nate almost went completely limp from relief. That was way too close. He whipped around the next corner without thought and collided with a rock hard body. Uh oh… he looked up to see the biggest man he had ever seen gawking at him in the white uniform. His shock didn't last long when the man grabbed him by the scuff of his shirt and started shouting.

"Como você chegou aqui? falar!" the man started shaking him to the point it felt like his head was rattling. Something hit the man in the face with such force that he dropped Nate and held his nose. Ellie stood with her gun in one hand and helping Nate up with the other. Yeesh, she had a wicked arm.

"C'mon! He's not going to stay like that forever!" the rushed over to the exit to see ten-maybe fifteen- guards glaring at them, all holding a gun. Ellie let out a helpless groan.' Nate grabbed her hand and darted the other way towards the stairs they went down.

"Change of plans!" he bellowed. The two teens sprinted up the stairs and down the hall until they were back where they had started. Nate hurriedly climbed the biggest case he could reach and climbed through the open window, Ellie following. Their route would slow the guards down a little. They ran down the slope of the roof and jumped to the poles again, moving faster each moment a gun shot was heard. Ellie shrieked with surprise when a bullet whizzed by and barely missed her hip. Another very nearly hit Nate in neck. She should have known something would go wrong!

Xx

"What's all that noise?" Joel asked while Sully tried to find the source. His heart stopped.

"Shit! J get your rifle ready!" Joel quickly set it up.

"Why?"

"'Cause the kids are being pursued by a bunch of armed museum guards!" Joel aimed in the direction Sully was looking and took down two men instantly. The kids looked scared as shit, but they were quick enough to dropped the spot below them, a few guards followed but Nate took them out quickly, keeping Ellie behind him. Joel kept taking down men in every direction Sully pointed until there were only a few. Joel reached for more ammo and cursed. He was out of bullets. Nate aimed carefully and shot a man in the head. He should have checked his surroundings before he left that case! He should have known better than that! Sully taught him that you always check your position before you try to escape. He desperately looked around to see if there was a route they could take to evade the guards. He didn't have time to think when a grenade landed right in front of them. His jaw dropped and he grabbed Ellie. Why the hell did museum guards have grenades? He jumped to the balcony next to where they were just as the grenade exploded. A few pieces of shrapnel hit his back. That was nothing compared to what could have happened. He checked Ellie over to just see a tear in her jeans. He sighed in relief and pulled her up. jesus, how was this not drawing attention?

"_pegá-los!" _a guard bellowed. The teens sprinted across the balcony and . a few gaurds ambused them but Nate quuickly knocked them out with the butt of his psitol. They jumped onto a window sill to climb up to a roof that was just across Sully and Joel They were nearly there! Nate hissed when a bullet grazed his calf and shot into the bricks. At least it didn't bury itself in his leg. But it still hurt like hell- a burning sensation took over his entire leg ankle to knee. Ellie gasped and helped him get the rest of the way up. She checked to see that the graze wasn't too deep, but he was losing an unsettling amount of blood. He insistently got up and said they needed to keep moving. They finally made it to the roof where Sully and Joel were. The moment Nate's feet hit the concrete he fell to the ground in exhaustion. Sully ran over to him. Joel grabbed Ellie and hugged her with so much force it was shocking. she patted his back and they both rushed over to where Sully was examing Nate.

"God Nate! Look at your leg!" the middle aged man supported the teenage boy with extra care. Nate struggled to keep his eyes open. He half-heartedly tried to push Sully away. He didn't look too good- the entire lower half of his calf was soaked with blood and he was limping badly. Joel packed the stuff up and gave Sully a cloth to wrap around Nate's leg.

"I'm fine S…Sully. I swear." He took one step and collapsed to the concrete with a helpless grunt. He tried to get up but to no avail, only getting his face off the ground by just a couple inches. Sully scooped him up without hesitation. He still tried to fight but Sully could tell he was losing energy and more blood.

"Kid you're as pale as a man during child birth. We need to treat that." Sully murmured with a strange amount of care and anxiety. everyone ignored his strange analogy and prepared to leave. He didn't care if the kids got the necklace or not; he just wanted to get Nate fixed up. Joel held Ellie's hand while they went down the stairs and ran to the hotel. They busted through the door without thought if someone saw them. Sully set Nate on the bed and pulled out his first aid kit. Ellie watched in utter concern as Nate's color slowly came back and the changes in looks on Sully's face. It went from worry, to determination, to relief throughout fixing Nate up. when Nate's leg was all patched up and cleaned, He sighed and patted his shoulder. The kid gave him a scare alright. Joel handed him a box full of meat and rice, but he only picked at it through the night. Later Joel passed out on his air mattress from the day's excitement. Ellie sat with Sully nearly the entire night, watching Nate's chest rise and fall with each steady breath.

It was kind of strange; she had barely exchanged any words with him through the entire job, yet at that moment she felt like she knew him just as well as her dad. He rubbed his face with both hands and just kept his eyes on Nate. She placed her hand over his in comfort. She could tell Nate was more than just a protégé to him.

"How did you find him?" she whispered. She wanted to help him relax a little. Sully chuckled and squeezed her hand. Joel's subtle snoring gave the room a homey feeling. The fifteen year old looked at him in the low light and didn't see a mentor-she saw father. The fear in his eyes when Nate fell onto the roof, the smiles he held when he and Nate got into their fake squabbles.

"Believe it or not he found me. I was on a job to get Francis Drake's ring in Cartagena and he was at the museum I needed to go. He was standing in front of the case when i walked in, but moved when i got closer. I sort of did what you two did; i got key mold and copied the slot and just walked out without and thought. He followed me all through town when I made a copy of the key. psh, he follwed me when i got fruit, he snuck around me while was at the key makers, he just stuck close. He slipped my wallet after I met up with the client. i relaized after about five minutes after he made off with it/ I caught up to him and had my first conversation with him. He's a snarky thing."

"He stole your wallet?" she asked in shock. They seemed so close. How could they meet like that? Sully grinned and nodded.

"He gave me my wallet but took the key. He's a smart little begger. Later that night I realized the key was gone and hoped that he wouldn't be at the museum but..."

"He was." She finished. He nodded. Ellie leaned on his shoulder and kept listening.

"When we got there he was standing in the middle of the room with a big grin on his face and the ring in his hand. I remember the fear in his eyes when he saw us. My client demanded for the astrolabe and ring. she swiped the astrolabe from his hands and handed it to me. She snagged his wrist when he didn't give her the ring right away. He opened his palm and it was gone. He said and quote 'what ring?' with the most smug and amused look I had ever seen a teens face. My client wasn't too happy about that and slapped him." Ellie made a noise of distaste.

"She started rambling about how he wasn't fit to touch the stuff. He just wiped off his mouth and stood straight. She made a move to hit him again but I grabbed her wrist. It wasn't right to hit a kid-not ever." Ellie scooted closer and wrapped her arms around his bicep and looked at him with a look that said she had her absolutely captured.

"What happened next?" Sully chuckled and relaxed a little.

"He ran." He murmured.

"From you?" he shook his head.

"No. I really don't think that was the case. Marlowe's men went after him and for some reason I followed. I just couldn't bear the thought of them killing a kid for a damn ring." Ellie was so deep in the story that she didn't notice her father's snores had stopped and that he was listening as well.

"It was obvious he knew the place by heart. He ran and jumped all through the village, always keeping those goons a few steps behind him. They got a hold of him a couple times but he always wiggled his way out of there holds. I kept a few of the guys at bay, telling him to keep running. Boy did he run." Sully pased for a minute, flashing back to the fateful day he met his protege.

"What next?" she whispered. Sully looked at her right in the eye.

"He was cornered. He ran out of places to jump and got stuck on a flat roof with one man. He grabbed a gun I guess to scare the guy, but that didn't happen. I could tell the guy was planning to shoot him, so I shot him first. God the fear in his eyes was so much. He pointed the gun at me in a sign that his guard was still up. I managed to get the gun out of his hands and took him to a bar to get some food in him." He chuckled. "He wasn't exactly warm to me at first." Ellie grinned.

"What do you mean by that?" Sully shrugged.

"At first he wouldn't sit and looked at me like he was waiting for me to grab at him. He sat down after a few minutes when I offered him so stuff to eat. He asked me what I wanted from him and what was in it for me, a whole bunch of stuff."

"It sounds like a guy from a movie!" she teased. Nate stirred for a minute. Sully smiled.

"I tease him about that a lot. Anyway when I asked him his name he was completely quiet even after I gave him my name. I tried something else and asked about his interest in the ring he said it belonged in his family." Ellie furrowed her brow.

"But Francis Drake didn't have any heirs." He pointed a finger towards Nate.

"He said 'not with his wife in England anyway.' He had a good point. I asked him for the ring and you could see his hesitation as clear as his face. He gave in and let me see it. The ring said Sic Parvis Magne. Drake's motto. Greatness from small beginnings."

"You know Latin?" she wondered. Sully shook his head.

"No. he did. Apparently whatever school he went to insisted on teaching Latin. After I asked that the kid opened up. He went on about Drake's journey, saying that his timing wasn't right and how he was hiding something big. The astrolabe thing had something to down with a secret Drake held. He was so excited when he talked about it."

"He said all this, but didn't tell his name?" Sully shook his head.

"Not until the end when I told him what I wanted. I told he had talent but he had a lot to learn. If he stuck with me I would teach him a few things. At first he refused, but something changed and he agreed. I said let's try this again and re-introduced myself. That time he smirked at me and said 'Nathan Drake. Nate."

"Is that really his name?" Ellie asked skeptically. Sully shrugged.

"Probably not. But I doubt he even remembers his real name now." He muttered. Ellie yawned and gave Sully a sleepy smile.

"Thanks for telling me that Sully." Sully wrapped and arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug.

"Thanks for listening. Now get some rest." She obeyed and stood up, but stopped when he said her name.

"Oh and Ellie, don't worry. He has a crush on you too." She felt her face go hot and she rushed to her air mattress. Sully smirked and let his exhaustion take him to sleep, passing out with his head resting near Nate.

Xx a few days later

"Here you go Hun." Sully said and handed Ellie four fifty dollar bills. Her eyes widened and gawked at him. He laughed and patted her shoulder. She wasn't expecting to get anything. Joel thanked Sully and stuffed his cut of money into his back pocket. Ellie shrugged her back pack on that was filled with souvenirs and pictures they had taken the past four days. She put her money in along with it. Sully and Joel chatted lightly while her father packed up his stuff.

"Quite a trip." A familiar voice joked behind her. She turned around and grinned at Nate. His leg was still in gauze and he was still walking with a limp, but the smile on his face showed it didn't bother him.

"Does Sully know you're up from bed arrest?" She teased. He nudged her playfully and stuck his hands in his pockets, just like the first day.

"He's giving me a fifteen minute free-be to say good-bye." She nodded with a smile. Sully had made sure Nate stayed off his leg as much as possible, only giving him fifteen to twenty minute exercises to keep his restlessness at a minimum. She hadn't seen Sully act so fatherly. it had been aamusing on many occasions. The two teens watched Sully and Joel get their rental car ready. Ellie rocked on her heels out of habit.

"Thanks." he broke the silence.

"For what?" she asked. He smiled at her with appreciation.

"For keeping him steady that night." He eyes widened for the second time and stared at him in utter shock.

"You were awake?" she gasped. He shook his head. "Then how did you…?"

"I kept fading in and out. My mind was still cloudy from the blood loss but I could hear you guys talking. I didn't fall asleep until Sully did." That was not what she expected. "He probably doesn't know it but I see him more than a mentor. If it hadn't been for him I would be dead…twice." Ellie rested her shoulder against his. Both Sully and Nate were the strangest people she had ever met, but she was glad she knew them. Sully cheered with victory when the old jeep rumbled to life, Joel laughing next to him. With the lack of gas in the area she knew they had to get going. She turned towards Nate and he engulfed her in a hug. She flushed a deep crimson, but responded to the hug.

"Hope I see you again." He muttered. He pulled up a small golden chain with a smiley face charm form his pocket and rested it in her palm. "It's ah, a charm bracelet. Whenever you visit we can get you another one or you can just add whatever you want." She hugged him tighter.

"Thank you." He moved his head to quickly peck her on the lips, so quickly that she wasn't sure it happened. He blushed deeper than she had. Joel slapped his hand on the hood of the jeep to signal it as time to go. Ellie looked back at Nate once more before she jogged over to the jeep, hugging Sully one more time and then jump into the passenger seat. Joel squeezed his friends shoulder.

"Gimme a call some time when you're not on a job. It'd be nice to just maybe take the kids to an amusement park before they're too old." Sully laughed.

"I doubt after this an amusement park will be how they want to get an adrenaline fix. But alright." Joel nodded.

"Take care Victor. And watch that kid-he's a tough one." Sullivan grunted a laugh and lit a cigar.

"Don't I know it. Have nice trip back Joel." Joel leaped into the driver's seat and changed the gear. He waved to his friend as he drove off, whipping up small rocks and dust. Sully turned to a sneaking Nate.

"Oh no you don't! C'mon, you're getting back on the couch until tomorrow." Nate groaned but let Sully lead him to their hotel room. The two of them sat on the couch while Nate occupied himself with his doodles and Sully listened to some weird show.

"You kissed her." Nate bit his lip. the middle aged man was so blunt it was almost hilarious. Almost.

"Yep." Sully laughed and snuck his arm around the kids' neck to give him a noogie.

"You dog." He grunted. Nate laughed and struggled to get out of Sully's hold.

"Argh! Sully!"

Xx

"Those pictures will be perfect for your school presentation." Joel said. Ellie whined. She forgot about her summer project for when school started. Oh well. She did something unlike anyone's summer. She had a trip that was practically a movie and she was happy to share. Of course she would have to change a few things to keep Nate and Sully's cover, but she would know what happened.

"I might put them in my scrapbook. It'll be a whole new section called 'the lunatics I know.' Joel threw his head back and laughed. He should have known she'd come with something like that.

"Clever name Ellie." He remarked. She grinned and rested her head against the glass of the window, twisting the new bracelet on her wrist. Joel started to hum as the long drive began to the airport far from the village.

"Dad, are we really going to see them again?" Joel nodded.

"You betcha. But I think on normal terms next time." He said the last part more to himself than her. She looked at her knees now and saw the now healing marks of her bruises and scratches from her slip ups on the job and when Nate grabbed her off that balcony. She wondered if his wound was going to leave a scar. It would be kind of funny if it did.

"Could we see them on Halloween?" Joel shrugged.

"We'll see. But I guarantee you we're seeing them soon." Ellie decided to say something.

"I like him." Joel chuckled and smirked at her.

"I know. I saw him sneak that kiss. Your old man's not that slow." She giggled as he stuck his tongue out at her. She was glad she met those two. She got to see a whole new side of her father and went on an adventure that she had only dreamed of from her books-even the cliché story of young love. Maybe she could go on another job with them one day…they drove off to the airport in silence the rest of the way, both of them happy to have such an exciting way to end the summer.

**Tadaaa! It probably sucks but I like it! To my usual readers, don't freit. Eye of the storm is still my focus. It was just another random burst of inspiration thanks to the boring person known as school. Goodbye**

_**Translations: Obrigado, tenha um bom dia- thank you, have a good day**_

_**Ola, tenha um bom dia- hello, how can I help you?**_

_**Quatro ordens de caldo verde, por favor- Four orders of caldo verde, please**_

_**eu preciso de quatro ordens de caldo verde- I need four orders of caldo verde**_

_**Como você chegou aqui? Falar!-**__**How did you get in here? Speak!**_

_**pegá-los!- get them**_

_**What is caldo verde? A soup with shredded cabbage, potatoes, and small chunks of sausage. quick and simple. **_


End file.
